Vols Take the Series in Columbia 5-4 to Close Out the Regular Season

Highlighted by a three-run homer from Connor Pavolony, the Vols rebounded after Friday night's loss with a 5-4 victory against the Gamecocks in Columbia on Saturday afternoon.

The gamecocks got on the board first as Brady Allen's bat stayed hot to start the game, blasting a Blade Tidwell pitch over the left field fence. The Vols answered quickly with a two hits in the top of the second, one being a single from Pete Derkay that got Luc Lipcius home. After a quiet third inning, the Vols blew the gates open in the top of the fourth inning, with hits from Evan Russell, Luc Lipcius, Jordan Beck, and a three-run bomb hit by Connor Pavolony to center field that brought Lipcius and Beck home, which is the play that would prove to be the difference maker against the gamecocks. The Vols totaled four runs in the fourth inning, and while Tennessee remained scoreless for the remainder of the contest, the gamecocks did not do enough to best the Vols in Founders Park. Despite a huge eight inning from the Gamecocks that featured four hits and three runs, Sean Hunley delivered three straight strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory and series win for the Vols.

Blade Tidwell followed up his stellar performance last Sunday with another solid day in Game 3 against the Gamecocks. Through the first seven innings, Tidwell struck out six batters and had only allowed three hits and one run, which was Brady Allen's homer in the first. South Carolina's three hits in the bottom of the 8th led to Sean Hunley ultimately replacing Tidwell to close out the game. Hunley allowed two hits and no runs during his time on the mound, and he thwarted the Gamecocks comeback attempt with three straight K's in the bottom of the ninth.

After the game, Vols Head Coach Tony Vitello praised Sean Hunley for his ability to close out the game for the Vols and seal the win.

"[Hunley has] big stones, and the other thing was, we kind of talked about it last night, the crowd certainly enriches the environment but you got to be able to handle it in whatever way you see fit, and I was kind of impressed in the way the dugout acted and the way our players acted in the eighth. Obviously, it just kind of spun out of control there on Blade, but he was throwing strikes. They found a couple holes and then Wes Clark, a dynamic hitter, got him. That's going to happen, and it just seemed to happen all at once. But for the most part, the guys in the dugout and the guys on the field, starting with the pitchers, kind of had a lot of composure, which is essential in this environment."

Vitello also expressed he has no regrets pulling Blade in the 8th

"No. Trust me, I talked about it with the team last night. That's a tough deal when you're talking about when you take a guy or when you put a guy in. You go off matchups. And again, if you try to bunt somebody or you try hit and run, if it works, you look smart. If it doesn't, you look foolish. So, the best thing is to have a little plan, and Blade has earned the right to roll into as deep in the game as he can, and I think the biggest thing is if somehow we would have not put Blade back out there in the eighth or yanked him after one base hit, the happiest people in the world would have been sitting in the other dugout over there."

Like Hunley, Vitello applauded Tidwell's performance in Game 3.

"Well he was outstanding. He picked up where he left off last week. Arkansas is the number one team in the country, hands down, undisputed type group there, and for him to throw the way he did against them gave him a lot of confidence. And without that, I'm not so sure he doesn't pitch as well as he does here today, especially after giving up a leadoff homer and having to navigate his way through a pretty dangerous lineup."

Vitello goes on to mention how huge the bottom of the lineup was for the Vols throughout the series.

"Yeah, it was huge. Just to have [Pavolony] back in a groove and healthy helps a lot. Jordan is back being himself. And then, Luc one of the dangerous hitters we have. I had a couple of ESPN announcers tell me that just the look of him, the way the ball comes off the bat... He leads our team in hard contacts. So wherever we decide to sort those guys out, it helps come into the park, and the whole team knows we can score at any part of the order."

Specifically, Vitello has high praise for Connor Pavolony's performance not only on Saturday, but ever since coming back from injury.

"[Pavolony is] such a maniac preparation guy that he's constantly seeing things or doing things to prepare, and even in his downtime he is maximizing available hours to try and be ready to go when he gets back out. He's one of the best catchers in the country. Hell, if you start in the SEC and you're a catcher, you're one of the best catchers in the country, but he's a special one."

Finally, Vitello breaks down what is next for him and his players.

"We just kind of waited for Pavolony to finish his interview out there, and we told the guys we'll get sorted for what's to come, but we're going to reflect on a fun 56 games. And I think all that'll be good, but Coach Kingston, who I have a lot of respect for had wise words after the game, obviously he wasn't happy about losing, but he was happy for both teams, mainly for his club. Experiences like this is going to help us and them, and that's why you see SEC teams make a run like they do in the postseason. This is exactly what a Super Regional looks like. And if you can experience it before it happens, then if you're fortunate enough that it does happen, [SEC baseball teams will be] more than ready."

The Vols have now improved their rubber game record to 5-2 on the season and are undefeated on the road in those games with a 4-0 record. The win for Tony Vitello and his squad clinches a top-four seed and a first-round bye in next week's SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

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